Having come through the Valencia youth ranks, he started playing with the first team in 2010, and became a regular following a loan at Getafe, totalling 43 goals in 118 matches. In 2016, he signed for Barcelona for €30 million, winning two Copa del Rey trophies and the 2017–18 La Liga during his spell as a reserve to Luis Suárez.

On 11 November 2010, Alcácer appeared in his first match with the first team, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 home win against UD Logroñés – 7–1 on aggregate – in the Copa del Rey (the fixture was also Isco's senior bow).[2] During that season, he netted 27 times to help the B's return to the third level as champions.[3][4]

On 12 August 2011, after Alcácer had netted the third and final goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Roma and was leaving the Mestalla Stadium accompanied by his parents, his father fell to the ground after suffering a heart attack. Despite 30 minutes of efforts by medics to revive him, the 44-year-old died;[5] the player returned to training less than a week later for "therapy purposes",[6] and played the entirety of a fixture with the reserves three days after that.[7]

Alcácer made his La Liga debut for Valencia on 14 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Sofiane Feghouli for the last 20 minutes of a 0–1 away loss against Real Sociedad,[8] he made two other brief appearances from the bench, whilst scoring at the rate of one goal every two games with the B-team.[7]

After returning to Valencia, Alcácer scored his first senior goal for his formative club on 3 October 2013, during an away game against Kuban Krasnodar in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League campaign,[13] he first found the net for Los Che in the domestic league on 25 January 2014 in a 2–2 home draw against Espanyol,[14] and grabbed another the following matchday, scoring the 3–2 winner at the Camp Nou against Barcelona.[15]

On 10 April 2014, Alcácer scored the first hat-trick of his professional career, helping overturn a 0–3 first-leg deficit to beat Basel 5–0 at home and qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League,[16][17] it was his 14th competitive goal of the season, and his seventh in continental competition;[18][19] this European haul made him the edition's second-highest scorer after compatriot Jonathan Soriano, who netted eight for Red Bull Salzburg.[20]

On 7 November 2015, Alcácer and Daniel Parejo scored twice each in a 5–1 win away to third-place Celta;[24] the following 21 January, the latter was stripped of his captaincy in favour of the former by manager Gary Neville, after a poor run of results.[25]

After three months without a goal, Alcácer broke his barren spell with a hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Eibar on 20 April 2016,[26] he finished the campaign with 15 across all competitions, in an eventual 12th-place finish.[27]

On 30 August 2016, Alcácer signed for Barcelona for €30 million on a five-year deal,[28] and on the same day Munir El Haddadi went in the other direction on loan, to be replaced by the former as the team's fourth-choice forward behind Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez,[29] he made his debut on 10 September in a 1–2 home loss to Alavés, making only eight passes in 66 minutes before being substituted by Suárez.[30]

Alcácer scored his first official goal for the Blaugrana on 21 December 2016, helping with the fifth in a 7–0 home win over Hércules to see his team qualify for the round-of-16 in the Spanish Cup;[31] the following 4 February, he netted a first league goal for his new team in a 3–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao, starting in place of the rested Suárez.[32]

On 18 December 2018, Alcácer scored his tenth goal from the bench for the season in a 2–1 away loss to Fortuna Düsseldorf, and in doing so set a new Bundesliga record for the most goals scored in a single campaign by a substitute;[40] the club exercised their option to sign him permanently for €23 million on 1 February 2019,[41] and he signed a five-year contract.[42][43]

On 29 August 2014, Alcácer was named by full side manager Vicente del Bosque in a 23-man squad for matches against France and Macedonia in September,[45] making his debut on 4 September after replacing Diego Costa midway through the second half of an eventual 0–1 friendly loss to the former.[46] Profiting from Costa's injury, four days later he made his first start, against Macedonia at the Estadi Ciutat de València, scoring his team's second goal in a 5–1 victory for the UEFA Euro 2016qualifiers and also providing the assist for Sergio Busquets' third;[47] in their next qualifier, away to Slovakia on 9 October, the substitute scored an 82nd-minute equaliser, although Spain went on to lose 1–2.[48]

A year later to the day, as a first-half replacement for the injured Álvaro Morata, Alcácer scored twice in a 4–0 win over Luxembourg which sealed qualification,[49] and he finished the qualification campaign with five goals, the most by a Spanish player,[50] he was not selected for the final tournament in France, however.[51]

In October 2018, amidst a good start to his spell at Dortmund and more than two years after his last international appearance, Alcácer was called back by new manager Luis Enrique for the games against Wales and England,[52] he scored a brace in the first match, a 4–1 friendly victory in Cardiff.[53] Spain lost 2–3 in the second, but he came on as a substitute in the second half and scored with his first touch of the ball, through a glancing header into the far post corner of the goal which beat Jordan Pickford.[54]

In association football, a substitute is a player, brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or, performing poorly, or for tactical reasons. Unlike some sports, a player, substituted during a match may take no further part in it. Most competitions only allow each team to make a maximum of three substitutions during a game and a fourth substitute during extra time, although more substitutions are permitted in non-competitive fixtures such as friendlies. A fourth substitution in extra time was first implemented in recent tournaments, including the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. A fourth substitute in extra time has been approved for use in the elimination rounds at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League; each team nominates a number of players. When the substitute enters the field of play it is said they have come on or have been brought on, while the player they are substituting is coming off or being brought off.

A player, noted for making appearances, or scoring important goals, as a substitute is informally known as a "super sub". The origin of football substitutes goes back to at least the early 1860s as part of English public school football games; the original use of the term "substitute" in football was to describe the replacement of players who failed to turn up for matches. For example, in 1863, a match reports states: "The Charterhouse eleven played a match in cloisters against some old Carthusians but in consequence of the non-appearance of some of those who were expected it was necessary to provide three substitutes." The substitution of absent players happened as early as the 1850s, for example from Eton College where the term "emergencies" is used. Numerous references to players acting as a "substitute" occur in matches in the mid-1860s where it is not indicated whether these were replacements of absent players or of players injured during the match; the first use of a substitute in international football was on 15 April 1889, in the match between Wales and Scotland at Wrexham.

Wales's original goalkeeper, Jim Trainer, failed to arrive. Substitution during games was first permitted in 1958; the use of substitutes in World Cup Finals matches was not allowed until the 1970 tournament. The number of substitutes usable in a competitive match has increased from zero—meaning teams were reduced if players' injuries could not allow them to play on—to one in 1958. With the increases in substitutions allowed, the number of potential substitute players increased to seven; the number of substitutes increased to two plus one in 1994, to three in 1995. Substitutions during matches in the English Football League were first permitted in the 1965–66 season. During the first two seasons after the law was introduced, each side was permitted only one substitution during a game. Moreover, the substitute could only replace an injured player. From the 1967–68 season, this rule was relaxed to allow substitutions for tactical reasons. On 21 August 1965, Keith Peacock of Charlton Athletic became the first substitute used in the Football League when he replaced injured goalkeeper Mike Rose eleven minutes into their away match against Bolton Wanderers.

On the same day, Bobby Knox became the first substitute to score a goal when he scored for Barrow against Wrexham. Archie Gemmill of St Mirren was the first substitute to come on in a Scottish first-class match, on 13 August 1966 in a League Cup tie against Clyde when he replaced Jim Clunie after 23 minutes; the first official substitute in a Scottish League match was Paul Conn for Queen's Park vs Albion Rovers in a Division 2 match on 24 August 1966. On 20 January 1917, a player called Morgan came on for the injured Morrison of Partick Thistle after 5 minutes against Rangers at Firhill, but this was an isolated case and the Scottish League did not authorise substitutes until 1966. In years, the number of substitutes permitted in Football League matches has increased. In England, the Premier League increased the number of players on the bench to five in 1996, it was announced that the number available on the bench would be seven for the 2008–09 season. Substitutions are governed under Law 3 of the Laws of the Game in the Substitution Procedure section.

A player may only be substituted with the permission of the referee. The player to be substituted must have left the field of play before the substitute may enter the field of play; the incoming player may only enter the field at the half-way line. Failure to comply with th

Forwards are the players on an association football team who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, are therefore most responsible for scoring goals. Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards score more goals on behalf of their team than other players. Modern team formations include one to three forwards. Unconventional formations may include none; the traditional role of a centre-forward is to score the majority of goals on behalf of the team. The player may be used to win long balls or receive passes and retain possession of the ball with their back to goal as teammates advance, in order to provide depth for their team or help teammates score by providing a pass. Most modern centre-forwards operate in front of the second strikers or central attacking midfielders, do the majority of the ball handling outside the box; the present role of centre-forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder in the 4–3–1–2 or 4–1–2–1–2 formations.

The term "target man" is used to describe a particular type of striker whose main role is to win high balls in the air and create chances for other members of the team. These players are tall and physically strong, being adept at heading the ball; the term centre-forward is taken from the early football playing formation in which there were five forward players: two outside forwards, two inside forwards, one centre-forward. When numbers were introduced in the 1933 English FA Cup final, one of the two centre-forwards that day wore the number nine – Everton's Dixie Dean a strong, powerful forward who had set the record for the most goals scored in a season in English football during the 1927–28 season; the number would become synonymous with the centre-forward position. The role of a striker is rather different from that of a traditional centre-forward, although the terms centre-forward and striker are used interchangeably at times, as both play further up the field than other players, while tall and technical players, like Zlatan Ibrahimović, have qualities which are suited to both positions.

Like the centre-forward, the traditional role of a striker is to score goals. They are fast players with good ball control and dribbling abilities. More agile strikers like Michael Owen have an advantage over taller defenders due to their short bursts of speed. A good striker should be able to shoot confidently with either foot, possess great power and accuracy, have the ability to link-up with teammates and pass the ball under pressure in breakaway situations. While many strikers wear the number 9 shirt, the position, to a lesser degree, is associated with the number 10, worn by more creative deep-lying forwards such as Pelé, with numbers 7 and 11, which are associated with wingers. Deep-lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe their playing activity has varied over the years; such players were termed inside forwards, creative or deep-lying centre-forwards. More two more variations of this old type of player have developed: the second, or shadow, or support, or auxiliary striker and, in what is in fact a distinct position unto its own, the number 10, exemplified by Dennis Bergkamp.

Other number 10s who play further back, such as Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane, are described as an attacking midfielder or the playmaker. The second striker position is a loosely defined and most misapplied description of a player positioned somewhere between the out-and-out striker, whether he is a "target-man" or more of a "poacher", the Number 10 or attacking midfielder, while showing some of the characteristics of both. In fact, a term coined by French advanced playmaker Michel Platini, the "nine-and-a-half", which he used to describe Roberto Baggio's playing role, has been an attempt to become a standard in defining the position. Conceivably, a Number 10 can alternate as a second-striker provided that he is a prolific goalscorer. Second or support strikers do not tend to get as involved in the orchestration of attacks as the Number 10, nor do they bring as many other players into play, since they do not share the burden of responsibility, functioning predominantly as assist providers.

In Italy, this role is known as a "rifinitore" or "seconda punta", whereas in Brazil, it is known as "segundo atacante" or "ponta-de-lança". The position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries; the inside forwards would support the centre-forward and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him or her with passes. The role is broadly analogous to the "hole" or second striker position in the modern game, although here there were two such players, known as inside right and inside left. In early 2–3–5 formations the inside-forwards would flank the centre-forward on both sides. With the advent of

The rivalry is further fueled by the fact. Valencia have a long-standing rivalry with Levante located in the city of Valencia, with two other clubs in the Valencian region, Hércules and Castellón. Valencia is the third-most supported football club in Spain, behind heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona, it is one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of number of associates, with more than 50,000 season ticket holders and another 20,000+ season ticket holders on the waiting list, who can be accommodated in the new 75,000-seater stadium. Over the years, the club has achieved a global reputation for their prolific youth academy, or "cantera." Products of their academy include world-class talents such as Raúl Albiol, Andrés Palop, Miguel Ángel Angulo, David Albelda, Gaizka Mendieta and David Silva. Current stars of the game to have graduated in recent years include Isco, Jordi Alba, Juan Bernat, José Gayà and Paco Alcácer; the club was established on 5 March 1919 and approved on 18 March 1919, with Octavio Augusto Milego Díaz as its first president.

The club played its first competitive match away from home on 21 May 1919 against Valencia Gimnástico, losing 1–0. Valencia moved into the Mestalla Stadium in 1923, having played its home matches at the Algirós ground since 7 December 1919; the first match at Mestalla ended a 0 -- 0 draw. In another match the day after, Valencia won against the same opposition, 1–0. Valencia won the Regional Championship in 1923, was eligible to play in the domestic Copa del Rey cup competition for the first time in its history; the Spanish Civil War halted Valencia's progress until 1941, when they won the Copa del Rey, defeating Espanyol in the final. In the 1941–42 season, the club won its first La Liga championship title, although winning the Copa del Rey was more reputable than the championship at the time; the club maintained its consistency to capture the league title again in the 1943–44 season, as well as the 1946–47 league edition. In the 1950s, the club failed to simulate the success of the 1940s though it grew as a club.

A restructuring of Mestalla resulted in an increase in spectator capacity to 45,000, while the club had a number of Spanish and foreign stars. Players such as Spanish international Antonio Puchades and Dutch forward Faas Wilkes graced the pitch at Mestalla. In the 1952 -- 53 season, the club finished behind Barcelona. In the following season, the club won its third Copa del Rey known as the Copa del Generalísimo. Valencia beat holders Barça 3–0 in the final in front of over 110,000 spectators at the Estadio Chamartín the home ground of Real Madrid; the 1950s saw the retirement of club greats like Salvador Monzó, Vicente Asensi, Amadeo Ibáñez, Antonio Puchades and Pasieguito. While managing indifferent league form in the early 1960s, the club had its first European success in the form of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In the 1961–62 season, Valencia defeated Barcelona in the final; the 1962–63 edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final pitted Valencia against Yugoslavian club Dinamo Zagreb, which the Valencians won.

Mestalla Stadium is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium has a capacity of 49,500 seats; the North Stand of the stadium is known for its steep section. The Estadio Mestalla was inaugurated with a friendly match on 20 May 1923 between Valencia CF and Levante UD; the new stadium had a capacity of 17,000 spectators, increased to 25,000 four years later. During the Civil War, the Mestalla was used as a concentration storage warehouse, it would only keep its structure, since the rest was an empty plot of land with no terraces and a grandstand damaged during the war. During the 1950s, the Mestalla was renovated, resulting in a stadium with a seating capacity of 45,500 spectators, it was damaged by the flood of October 1957 when the Turia River broke its banks. The stadium soon returned to operational use with some more improvements, such as the addition of artificial lighting, was inaugurated during the 1959 Fallas festivities. In 1969, the stadium's name was changed to Estadio Luis Casanova, to honour club president Luis Casanova Giner.

The change lasted for a quarter of a century, when Casanova admitted that he was overwhelmed by such an honour and requested in 1994 that the stadium's name be returned to Mestalla. 1972 saw the inauguration of the club's head office, located in the back of the numbered terraces. It consisted of an office designed in the avant-garde style with a trophy hall, which held the flag the club was founded on; the summer of 1973 ushered in another change at Mestalla, the introduction of goal seats, which meant the elimination of fourteen rows of standing room terraces. A replacement stadium, Nou Mestalla, is yet to be completed; the new stadium is due to have a capacity of 61,500. Mestalla held the Spain national football team for the first time in 1925, it was chosen the national team's group venue when Spain staged the 1982 World Cup, at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, all of Spain's matches up to the final were held at Mestalla, as they won Gold. Mestalla has been the setting for important international matches, has held nine cup finals, has been a temporary home for Levante UD, home of the Spanish national team and exile for Castellón and Real Madrid in the European Cup.

Mestalla hosted the 2011 Copa del Rey Final between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C. F. and the 2014 Copa del Rey Final between the same two teams. The stadium was one of the venues of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, held the following matches: Metro: Aragón station Metrovalencia Facultats station Metrovalencia Bus lines: Amadeo of Savoia street in: line 32. Reyes Prosper street: line 71. Avenida de Aragón: lines 10, 12, 80, 41 and 79 Avenida Blasco Ibáñez: lines 10, 29, 30, 31, 71, 79, 81, 89 and 90; the new Mestalla Estadios de España

Torrent is a city located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the largest municipality of the Horta Oestcomarca, with 79,843 inhabitants, it is situated some 7 km from Valencia city proper. The two metro stations in Torrent are called Torrent and Torrent avinguda from lines 1 and 5, it is bordered by Aldaia, Alaquàs and Xirivella in the north and Catarroja in the east, Alcàcer and Picassent in the south and Montserrat, Turís and Xiva in the West. All of the cities are part of the province of Valencia. There are only a few remarkable mountains in the municipal territory: El Vedat, Barret, Cabezo de la Araña and the Serra Perenxisa. About a 20% of the territory is mountainous. Torrent is crossed by a gully which flows into estuary; the village of Torrent was founded by people of European ancestry in 1248, after the Reconquista although the tower and its fortification were built several centuries earlier. Archaeological research suggests, it was a fief of the Knights Hospitaller.

The Medaieval Tower was part of an ancient castle. It had some underground passages; the tower, which lies in a square, has a truncated pyramid shape and is 30 metres high, with 5 floors and a terrace where The Cross of the St. John of Jerusalem order and a Valencian "rat penat" can be seen at the four upper corners. Access to the tower is through an exterior staircase connecting to a door at the first floor. Around 1613 porticoes were built around to house a market around the tower. In 1847 it became the property of Torrent; the tower has been used as a prison throughout its history, the porches have hosted the Courts in its upper floors since 1908. The porticoes were demolished in 1970. After its restoration, the Tower houses two exhibition halls; the shrine dedicated to Saint Lluís Bertrán is a traditional and beloved church by all people in Torrent, since Sant Blai among other festivities are held in the hermitage. In 1634 the City Council agreed to build the chapel dedicated to Saint Lluis Bertran.

After many changes and reconstructions it was used for military purposes during the Spanish civil war and was restored after that conflict. Internally, it consists of two sides; the neoclassical facade is divided into three parts. The door has an arc with archivolt, St. Louis' image and a large rosette appear over the door; the bell tower has a hexagonal base and was finished in 1829. It has four bells and a clock with three spheres, installed there in 1950; the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built in the 13th century, in the same place as the current one, but much smaller. Its rector attended the diocesan synods in the fourteenth century. An image of the "Verge del Pòpul", which disappeared in 1936, was the main image in the ancient parish, it has had many fires and thefts with the result that the church that exists nowadays has had many restorations and modifications. Benalup-Casas Viejas, Spain Gharb, MaltaZebbug, MaltaPaco Alcácer, footballerVicente Guaita, footballer Pedro López Muñoz, footballer Roger Martí, footballer Official website Federació Esportiva Municipal de Torrent, Local Sports Federation

Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona known as Espanyol de Barcelona, or as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 1900, the club plays in La Liga, the highest division of Spanish football and play their home games at the RCDE Stadium, which holds up to 40,500 spectators. Espanyol have won Copa del Rey four times, most in 2006, reached the UEFA Cup final in 1988 and 2007; the team competes in the Barcelona Derby against FC Barcelona. Espanyol was founded on 28 October 1900 by Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz, an engineering student at the University of Barcelona; the club's original home was in the well-off district of Sarrià and was known as the Sociedad Española de Football. One year the club changed its name to Club Español de Fútbol. Espanyol was the first club in Spain to be formed by Spanish fans of the game; the club played in bright yellow shirts, with the colour of the shorts being left to the individual player. A friend of the club founder owned a textile business and happened to have an abundance of yellow material left over from a job.

In 1910, the club changed its name to Club Deportivo Español and chose blue and white stripes as shirt colours and as the central colours of the club badge. Blue and white was chosen in homage to the colours appearing on the shield of the great Sicilian-Aragonese Admiral Roger de Lluria, who sailed the Mediterranean protecting the interests of the Crown of Aragon in the Middle Ages; the club were successful from the beginning, winning the Campionat de Catalunya in 1903 and subsequently playing in the Copa del Rey. In 1906, the club folded due to financial reasons and most of the players joined the X Sporting Club; this club won the Campionat de Catalunya three times between 1906 and 1908. In 1909, this club was relaunched as Club Deportivo Español, in 1910, they adopted their present-day colours. Espanyol are one of several Spanish football clubs granted patronage by the Spanish crown and thus entitled to use Real in their names and the royal crown on their badge; this right was granted to Espanyol in 1912 by Alfonso XIII and the club subsequently became known as Real Club Deportivo Español.

Following the abdication of the same king in 1931 and the declaration of the Second Spanish Republic, due to prohibition of royal symbols, the club adopted the more Catalan/republican friendly name, Club Esportiu Espanyol. After the Spanish Civil War, the name reverted; the club took the Catalan spelling for its name in February 1995. The word "Deportiu" in Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a Catalanised form of the original word "Deportivo", despite the correct word being "Esportiu" in the Catalan language; this choice was made in order to retain the initials "RCD" in the club's name. In 1994, Espanyol created its reserve team, Espanyol B playing in the Segunda División B. With their win in the Copa del Rey the previous season, Espanyol entered the UEFA Cup. Following a 5–3 aggregate success against Slovak side Artmedia Bratislava, they were drawn in Group F alongside Ajax, Belgian minnows Zulte Waregem, Sparta Prague and Austria Wien. Espanyol were group winners, victorious in all four of their ties.

Their opponent in the Round of 32 was Livorno. Espanyol were 4–1 victors on aggregate, recording a 2–1 win in Tuscany and finishing the job 2–0 in Barcelona. Next up was Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, after a dour 0–0 draw in the away leg, Espanyol thrashed their Israeli counterparts 4–0 in the second leg. Many were starting to see Espanyol as favourites to go all the way to the final in Glasgow's Hampden Park. If that were to be the case, Espanyol would have to defeat Portuguese club Benfica, two-time European Cup winners. Espanyol did not seem fazed by this. However, Benfica fought back and scored two away goals to leave the tie in the balance. Espanyol survived a daunting trip to Lisbon, coming away with a 0–0 draw, enough to book them a place in the semi-finals. Germans Werder Bremen lay in wait for the Catalan side in the last four, but once again, Espanyol produced a brilliant home performance to seal the tie on the night. A 3–0 rout of the Germans put the Spanish in control, any real doubts about their passage to the final disappeared, with a 2–1 win in Bremen.

In the final, held on 16 May in Glasgow, Espanyol fell to fellow La Liga side Sevilla, losing 3–1 in a shootout following a 2–2 draw. They became the only football team in UEFA Cup history to remain unbeaten in the tournament, yet didn't take home the trophy. Walter Pandiani, who would leave the club at the end of the season, was the top goal scorer of the UEFA Cup of that season. On 9 June 2007, Raúl Tamudo became Espanyol's highest-ever goalscorer after surpassing the 111 goals scored by Rafael Marañón. One of the most memorable of Tamudo's goals was his 90th-minute match equalizer away at the Camp Nou against rivals Barcelona in 2006–07; the goal, which secured a 2–2 draw, cost Barcelona the Liga title after it finished level on points with champions Real Madrid, but with a poorer head-to-head record. On 31 May 2009, Espanyol played its last match at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuic, a 3–0 defeat of Málaga. Espanyol played in the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic after moving from their all life ground in Sarria.

With the move, club talisman Raúl Tamudo had the unique distinction of having played in three different home stadiums with his club: Sarrià, Montjuïc and, beginning in the 2009–1

Madrid is the capital of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has 3.3 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in the European Union, smaller than only London and Berlin, its monocentric metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU, smaller only than those of London and Paris; the municipality covers 604.3 km2. Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the Community of Madrid; as the capital city of Spain, seat of government, residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is the political and cultural centre of the country. The current mayor is Manuela Carmena from the party Ahora Madrid; the Madrid urban agglomeration has the third-largest GDP in the European Union and its influence in politics, entertainment, media, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. Madrid is home to Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Due to its economic output, high standard of living, market size, Madrid is considered the leading economic hub of the Iberian Peninsula and of Southern Europe.

مجريط Majrīṭ is the first documented reference to the city. It is recorded in Andalusi Arabic during the al-Andalus period; the name Magerit was retained in Medieval Spanish. The most ancient recorded name of the city "Magerit" comes from the name of a fortress built on the Manzanares River in the 9th century AD, means "Place of abundant water" in Arabic. A wider number of theories have been formulated on possible earlier origins. According to legend, Madrid was founded by Ocno Bianor and was named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend that the original name of the city was "Ursaria", because of the many bears that were to be found in the nearby forests, together with the strawberry tree, have been the emblem of the city since the Middle Ages, it is speculated that the origin of the current name of the city comes from the 2nd century BC. The Roman Empire established a settlement on the banks of the Manzanares river; the name of this first village was "Matrice". Following the invasions carried out by the GermanicSueves and Vandals, as well as the Sarmatic Alans during the 5th century AD, the Roman Empire no longer had the military presence required to defend its territories on the Iberian Peninsula, as a consequence, these territories were soon occupied by the Vandals, who were in turn dispelled by the Visigoths, who ruled Hispania in the name of the Roman emperor taking control of "Matrice".

In the 8th century, the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula saw the name changed to "Mayrit", from the Arabic term ميرا Mayra and the Ibero-Roman suffix it that means'place'. The modern "Madrid" evolved from the Mozarabic "Matrit", still in the Madrilenian gentilic. Although the site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric times, there are archaeological remains of Carpetani settlement, Roman villas, a Visigoth basilica near the church of Santa María de la Almudena and three Visigoth necropoleis near Casa de Campo, Tetúan and Vicálvaro, the first historical document about the existence of an established settlement in Madrid dates from the Muslim age. At the second half of the 9th century, EmirMuhammad I of Córdoba built a fortress on a headland near the river Manzanares, as one of the many fortresses he ordered to be built on the border between Al-Andalus and the kingdoms of León and Castile, with the objective of protecting Toledo from the Christian invasions and as a starting point for Muslim offensives.

Forwards are the players on an association football team who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals. — Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards normally score more goals on behalf of their team than other …

The forward (10, red) is past the defence (16, white) and is about to take a shot at the goal. The goalkeeper will attempt to stop the forward from scoring a goal by preventing the ball from passing the goal line.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo taking a shot at goal. A multi-functional forward he has influenced a generation of strikers who followed.

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund, BVB, or simply Dortmund, is a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in 1909 by eighteen football players from Dortmund, the football team is part of a large …

Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a Spanish professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. — Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan …

Walter Wild, the club's first president (1899–1901). His main achievement was getting Barça its first home ground.

A formation of FC Barcelona in 1903

A prolific forward, László Kubala led Barcelona to success in the 1950s. His statue is built outside the Camp Nou.

The Spain national football team represents Spain in international men's association football since 1920, and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. — Spain is one of the eight national teams to have …

World Cup champions parade, celebrate as they pass in front of the Air Force Headquarters in Madrid.

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. Often regarded as one of the best players in the world, Suárez has won 17 trophies in his …

The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and Madrid with more than 4.9 million inhabitants. Its homonymous capital Valencia is the third largest city and metropolitan area in Spain. It is located …

Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez, commonly known as Isco, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. In 2017, he was selected as …

Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as Roma, is an Italian professional football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence except for …

Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad or La Real, is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909. It plays its home matches at the Anoeta Stadium. Real …

Madrid is the capital of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has almost 3.3 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.5 million. It is the …

Camp Nou is the home stadium of FC Barcelona since its completion in 1957. — With a seating capacity of 99,354, it is the largest stadium in Spain and Europe, and the third largest football stadium in …

Aerial view of the stadium

One of the stands displaying Barcelona's motto, Més que un club, meaning "More than a club"

A view of the supporters' side during a match, showing the FC Barcelona colours

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of eleven players. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a …

Getafe Club de Fútbol, or simply Getafe, is a Spanish professional football club that plays in La Liga. The club is based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area. Getafe was founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983. — Getafe participated in …

In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is performing poorly, or for tactical reasons (such as bringing a striker …

Sofiane Feghouli is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. and the Algeria national team. He mainly operates as a right midfielder, but can also play as a winger and as an attacking midfielder …

Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Liga following promotion from the Segunda …

The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as La Liga, is the men's top professional football division of the Spanish football league system. Administered by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (English …

Torrent is a city located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the largest municipality of the Horta Oest comarca, with 79,843 inhabitants. It is situated some 7 km from Valencia city proper, to which it is connected via the …

The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita, competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship. — Following the realignment of …

The 2013–14 UEFA Europa League was the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the fifth season under its current title. — The 2014 UEFA Europa League Final was played between Sevilla and Benfica at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, which was won by …

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American former professional basketball player who is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association. He played 15 seasons in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls …

Jordan in 2014

Jordan going in for a slam-dunk for the Laney High School varsity basketball team, 1979–80

Malibu is a beach city in western Los Angeles County, California, situated about 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its 21-mile strip of the Malibu coast, incorporated in 1991 into the City of Malibu. The area …

Aerial view of Downtown Malibu and surrounding neighborhoods

Sign of historical Malibu coast of 27 miles (43 km) from Point Mugu east to Tuna Canyon

The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. The Swiss National Bank issues banknotes and the federal …

Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.Winston founded the Harry Winston Inc. in New York City in …

Granada is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of four rivers, the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro. It sits at an average …

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was an undeclared war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of …

Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk …

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal is an American actor. A member of the Gyllenhaal family and the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting as a child with a screen debut in City Slickers, followed by roles in A Dangerous …

Hugh Capet was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. He was elected as the successor of the last Carolingian king, Louis V. Hugh was a descendant in illegitimate descent of Charlemagne through his mother and …

The Coronation of Hugues Capet. Miniature from a manuscript of the 13th or 14th century.